VOLUNTEER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Training Materials
All HSVMA-RAVS volunteers are required to review the online Training
Materials and must be familiar with all protocols and clinical procedures
that are taught in our clinics.

The protocols and techniques presented here have been developed to provide
a standard level of care for the animals treated in our field clinics and
allow for a standardized teaching curriculum. All volunteers are expected
to follow these protocols and recommendations as they are written. If you
have any difficulty accessing the information, have questions about the
material, or concerns about a specific protocol, please contact Windi Wojdak
by email (wwojdak@hsvma.org)
well before your scheduled trip.

Pre-Trip Evaluation
An online Training Evaluation will
be required of all volunteers, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians,
veterinary assistants, students and other volunteers. The training evaluation
is intended to review the clinic training materials available here and to
ensure that all volunteers are familiar with HSVMA-RAVS protocols and are adequately
prepared. All volunteers will be required to submit a score of 80%
or higher on the online evaluation at least 30 days before your scheduled
trip. A new score must be submitted each calendar year.

The online training evaluation can be taken up to 2 months prior to your
scheduled trip, but no later than 30 days prior. Volunteers who have not
submitted a passing score 30 days before the trip will be permanently removed
from the trip roster. A failing score will result in removal from all rosters
for a period of 3 months, at which time the exam may be re-taken.

Practical Skills AssessmentAll veterinary student volunteers will be required to participate
in a practical skills assessment at the start of the clinic. This assessment
will include suture patterns, knot tying, anesthesia machine setup and medical
record keeping.

You must demonstrate
basic competency in essential skills in order to work with patients. Students
who do not pass the surgical skills portion will not participate in surgery at any level. Many students over-estimate their preparedness and/or are more nervous than expected when taking the practical exam and are dissapointed to find that they do not pass. There are no exceptions to this exam, so you will want to prepare more than you think necessary..

Detailed requirements for the practical will be outlined in the
online training materials.

TOPAdditional Note for Veterinary and
Veterinary Technician StudentsSuccessful HSVMA-RAVS volunteers show initiative and resourcefulness.
Individuals all have different abilities and rates of learning. If you have
to practice a technique 100 times instead of 20 to become proficient, it
is expected that you will do just that. You will be adequately supervised
and oriented by veterinarians and technicians who love to teach, but don't
expect to be "spoon fed". We don't do that. If you are not able
to commit sufficient time to study and practice prior to the clinic to be
proficient at the basic skills required, this is not the program for you.

We take patient care very seriously and will not allow students to fumble
through procedures on a live animal that could have been practiced on a
model. The more prepared you are in advance, the more you will have a chance
to do. Students who put time and effort into preparation will be given a
great deal of responsibility. Those who do not prepare may scrub instruments
or do paperwork for a week.